Pat Breen (Clare, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Mr. Butler. May I give my opinion to my good colleague Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan on the Taoiseach's visit? She mentioned it was a clumsy response, but I do not agree. The Taoiseach was there at the invitation of Enterprise Ireland. It was not organised by the Department of the Taoiseach or the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. The trade mission was organised by Enterprise Ireland and was focused on 80 to 90 companies doing the business. Clearly the Taoiseach did not want to get distracted by other human rights issues because members who went to Iran last week will have seen that journalists were more concerned about the way one shakes hands and what one wears than about the content of what we were doing.

The Taoiseach was correct not to answer questions because it would lead to other questions and other issues and sidetrack the whole trade mission, which was very successful and resulted in new contracts worth approximately €5 million for the many Irish companies that work extremely hard. In my opinion that was the reason.